Should I take a gap year?

[carsandmedicine]

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Hey guys,
I am pretty much all set to apply this cycle, but I have been having some second thoughts on whether I should take some time off to add more volunteer/research experience and mostly earn money and travel. My reasoning is that I haven't had time to just enjoy being young and I know there will be occasional free time if I apply this cycle, dental school is super busy and so is after graduation.
I am not one to get burned out or stress too much, so those aren't really concerns. Just want to travel, earn some money, and potentially gain some more useful experiences that would help my app.

This is what I have so far
GPA: 3.65-3.7 (transferred colleges so not exactly sure)
DAT: 22AA and 30 PAT
All 3 letters of rec
halfway through my personal statement
1200 hours working as a dental assistant w/ xray license and as OSHA office coordinator
180 shadowing hours (mostly general w/ some perio and endo)
100 hours volunteering at a marine mammal hospital
20 hours Red cross
1 year w/ neurology research

I know i am a decent applicant, but think I could still be productive by gaining more leadership experience, a bit more volunteering, and a teeny bit more shadowing.

Those that have taken a gap year, would you recommend? Or should I just apply and jump into dental school while my head is in study mode?

im so conflicted

 

[cryingintheclub]

I'm currently in my one gap year before dental school doing healthcare-related community service, and I mainly took the gap year because I switched to pre-dental my junior year. Besides the logistical benefit, I really have gained a unique look into healthcare inequities, interacting with people of different backgrounds (and subsequently experiencing occasional compassion burnout), de-escalating situations with frustrated patients, and navigating workplace politics - all things I can see myself having to deal with as a dentist. Your gap year might be able to give you that ~real world experience~.

If you're interested in traveling, definitely prepare for the fact that places/travel might still be relatively restricted over the next year. So much so that it would be equivalent anyways to travel you can do during your dental school breaks/work vacations. And if you're interested in saving up money, a lot of people will tell you that the one gap year is one year lost in dentist earnings. As for the application, I feel that dental schools really prioritize stats and exposure to the dental field (as well as a compelling reason to join dentistry), and after that generally want to see you showing commitment to whatever extracurriculars of your choosing/service of your choice, so you seem to good to go here.

 

[2thPirate🦷]

Hey guys,
I am pretty much all set to apply this cycle, but I have been having some second thoughts on whether I should take some time off to add more volunteer/research experience and mostly earn money and travel. My reasoning is that I haven't had time to just enjoy being young and I know there will be occasional free time if I apply this cycle, dental school is super busy and so is after graduation.
I am not one to get burned out or stress too much, so those aren't really concerns. Just want to travel, earn some money, and potentially gain some more useful experiences that would help my app.

This is what I have so far
GPA: 3.65-3.7 (transferred colleges so not exactly sure)
DAT: 22AA and 30 PAT
All 3 letters of rec
halfway through my personal statement
1200 hours working as a dental assistant w/ xray license and as OSHA office coordinator
180 shadowing hours (mostly general w/ some perio and endo)
100 hours volunteering at a marine mammal hospital
20 hours Red cross
1 year w/ neurology research

I know i am a decent applicant, but think I could still be productive by gaining more leadership experience, a bit more volunteering, and a teeny bit more shadowing.

Those that have taken a gap year, would you recommend? Or should I just apply and jump into dental school while my head is in study mode?

im so conflicted

Personally, I would apply right away, you have great stats and excellent ECs already. I’ve spent my gap year doing research and while I like it, it has helped me to see that I would def not want to do this as a career and can’t wait for the fall when I start at d school. I think your app is great once that PS is finished and reviewed, as @memelover mentioned above (great name btw lol), traveling is probably going to be pretty restricted even with the vaccines, as many countries are already seeing another wave. It has been nice to not have school for nearly a year, but if burnout isn’t a concern for you then I wouldn’t worry too much about that.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Taking a break before dental school is easier than taking a break afterwards. If you have to get some more money in the bank, that's fine.

 

[1942]

Only reasons I would advise a gap year in your situation is 1) if you need to focus on your mental health and do whatever is necessary to ensure you are mentally/emotionally prepared for dental school and 2) if you need to work full time to finance the application process + pay any outstanding debts you may have.

your application is really solid as is and a few more experiences won’t make a considerable difference. Improving on the DAT (24+) and taking a few classes such as immunology, histology etc. to increase the GPA (to around 3.8) would have a greater impact IMO and make you really competitive for the “top tier” schools. But honestly it’s not necessary and there’s diminishing returns even with that

a gap year is overrated and gets boring really fast. Plus think of every gap year as a potential loss of income of about 100k. If anything pack your schedule this summer and Fall ‘21 and try to graduate a semester early.

 

[macsak]

Only reasons I would advise a gap year in your situation is 1) if you need to focus on your mental health and do whatever is necessary to ensure you are mentally/emotionally prepared for dental school and 2) if you need to work full time to finance the application process + pay any outstanding debts you may have.

your application is really solid as is and a few more experiences won’t make a considerable difference. Improving on the DAT (24+) and taking a few classes such as immunology, histology etc. to increase the GPA (to around 3.8) would have a greater impact IMO and make you really competitive for the “top tier” schools. But honestly it’s not necessary and there’s diminishing returns even with that

a gap year is overrated and gets boring really fast. Plus think of every gap year as a potential loss of income of about 100k. If anything pack your schedule this summer and Fall ‘21 and try to graduate a semester early.

OP, please don't retake your DAT

your stats are sufficient
your chances of admission depends on your school list...